Turn old books and stamps into £1m - National Trust’s David Musson shows how it’s done

A rare 1900 stamp from the Siege of Mafeking, featuring Baden-Powell. Picture: ANTONY KELLY (Image: Archant Norfolk 2014)

As an adult he added a fourth - the National Trust. And those hobbies have helped volunteer Mr Musson raise more than £1m for the trust's Blickling and Felbrigg estates in north Norfolk.

He has collected the cash by setting up second-hand book shops at both stately homes, and a second-hand stamp shop at Blickling, donating 16 of his own albums which he hopes will alone raise about £150,000.

And every penny will be needed because stamp shop money is going towards the restoration of Blickling's walled garden, a project which Mr Musson, 78, said would cost at least £500,000.

A former Surrey-based director of the trust's southern region, Mr Musson originally came to Norfolk in 1969 as number two land agent at Blickling and remembers his first successful fund-raising project was to raise £7,000 for a water supply so that trust staff living on Blakeney Point could revel in the luxuries of a toilet and bath. They had previously relied on barrels of water being brought over by boat.

David Musson will be selling stamps to raise funds for Blickling Hall walled garden. Blickling Hall head gardener Paul Underwood pictured in the garden.Picture: ANTONY KELLY (Image: Archant Norfolk 2014)

Within three weeks of Mr Musson's arrival in the county the squire of Felbrigg Hall died. Wyndham Ketton-Cremer left his estate to the National Trust and it was Mr Musson's job to oversee the transfer. Felbrigg has held a special place in his heart ever since.

When he retired 25 years ago, he returned to Norfolk, moving to a Sheringham home with fine views for bird watching, and his first voluntary job was as a room steward at Felbrigg.

In 1996 he opened a second-hand bookshop at Felbrigg and when 'Blickling got jealous', he started one at Blickling Hall too, now widely recognised as the best of the National Trust's 100 or so similar bookshops.

Together they have helped pay for projects including hard-surface paths around the estates suitable for wheelchairs and buggies, the restoration of Felbrigg's walled garden and its 1750 library ceiling.

Now the stamp shop, in Blickling's old harness room, is doing its bit for the cause.

It boasts up to 250,000 donated British and international stamps, including Penny Blacks and other rarities. Prices vary from 2p per stamp, to £3,000.

Ring 01263 738019 11am-4pm, Wednesday to Sunday, for more information.